Ohio hunters checked 19,359 white-tailed deer during the opening day of gun hunting season on Monday, Nov. 27, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s seven-day gun season is open until Sunday, Dec. 3, and a two-day gun season is open on Dec. 16-17.
This year’s opening day harvest total includes 7,676 antlered deer and 11,683 antlerless deer, a category that includes does and button bucks. In 2022, hunters took 17,197 deer on the opening day of the gun season, which traditionally falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving. From 2020 to 2022, hunters checked an average of 16,616 deer during the gun season opener.
In Adams County, there were 247 checked deer, up from a three-year average of 227.
In addition to the weeklong gun season and December gun weekend, the state will host a muzzleloader season from Jan. 6-9, 2024. Finally, the archery season remains open statewide until Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024.
